will you stick with me through whatever (or run away)
by The PalletShipping Ninja
Summary: Troyella, Post Senior Year. Gabriella wasn't sure if going out tonight was worth it, but now she's glad she did. She's found her wildcat again. (Based on music video Say OK by Vanessa Hudgens)


Gabriella wasn't sure if going out tonight was worth it, but now she's glad she did. She's found her wildcat again.

.

will you stick with me through whatever (or run away)

With a slight frown, Gabriella pushes her fringe out of her eyes and allows Jenna and Ruby to steer her through the crowd at MultiBowl's Pinner Alley. Before arriving at Stanford maybe she'd have been more willing to throw herself into the crowd and have fun, but before East High she'd have been just as reluctant as she is now. It's funny how quickly she's reverted back to her old self, she thinks, even as she fingers the new haircut and pulls at beaded necklaces her old self would've never dared touch. College has changed her; perhaps she just preferred the way she was at East High.

Her roommate Ruby nudges her in the side, eyes narrowing.

"Lighten up, Gabriella," she says in a tone that Gabriella always finds slightly patronising. "You look like you're in a funeral march. We're having fun tonight, right?"

"Yeah," she agrees, nodding a little too readily without really feeling it. "It's fun. Who's coming again?"

"Um, lets see… there's Noah, and Sam and Jess were supposed to be coming up later as well, but they're on the rocks again. No surprise there…"

As Ruby and Jenna bounce names off of each other Gabriella falls into step with them, silent once more. She can't help wondering, as they pass numerous toy crane machines and a group of chain smokers huddled outside the main doors for warmth, ironically stubbing out cigarettes against the no smoking sign, how it is that she's become such a jaded person. For a while she thought Stanford was what she wanted, and she felt that everyone around her thought it was what she wanted too. Even Troy thought he knew how important it was, choosing to go to a college close by so that they could still see one another every weekend. Some plan that turned out to be.

Jenna is the one who notices Gabriella's downcast expression this time, complete with a barely audible sigh, and the two link arms with her.

"Don't get so down, sweetie," Jenna says with a grin that has an effect on Gabriella no matter the circumstances. It only widens when Gabriella begins to smile too. "You're heading back to Albuquerque the day after tomorrow, aren't you? I'm sure you'll get in touch with your friends again in no time."

"Maybe even Troy, huh?" Ruby adds with a wink. "Darling Troy who we only had the pleasure of talking to - on the phone I might add - just the once?"

"How cold," Jenna chimes in, laughing, and the two giggle as Gabriella wonders why she puts up with them, rolling her eyes and marching them forward a little forcefully.

It's not Troy's fault the two have only met up three times since starting college. Doing both musical theatre and basketball must be difficult to keep on top of, let alone leading a social life as one of the most well-received kids on campus _and_ arranging to meet with his girlfriend on a regular basis. It's only natural that she fell short, right? After all, it's not like she hasn't been busy too. While Jenna and Ruby have had their way with dragging her out to her fair share of college drinking parties, Stanford hasn't been easygoing either, and she supposes it's been her fault the past two occasions when Troy has brought up going out somewhere only for her to cancel.

The two haven't called in three weeks, and she knows it's awkward to not communicate for so long when in a relationship, but Troy is probably just very busy, isn't he?

Smiling grimly, she spots Ruby's boyfriend, Noah, and the trio pull her over.

Greetings are exchanged but the group of four now wait around, talking and laughing, without actually doing a lot, and Gabriella finds herself restless because of it. Why can't they start bowling already? She takes out her phone and plays around with it, checking for texts she knows won't be there. It's bad enough that the two dragged her out to the bowling alley in the first place, when she could be packing right now, when she could be calling Troy, arranging to meet up at the café nearby…

Maybe he doesn't want to see her, though.

It's a dumb thought and she knows this, but it occurs to her anyway and she shivers.

"You all right?" Noah asks, nodding towards her, and she reassures him that she's fine, just a little cold, can they start already? It's becoming very crowded at this point and more and more people are asking Noah if he's seen that guy from Berkeley, the one everyone is talking about, and Gabriella is beginning to get more and more confused as Jenna and Ruby and Noah begin to laugh and grin uncontrollably. She's growing agitated now, asking them what's so funny, and then she hears a voice that sounds familiar, but is it, isn't it?

She turns around and there is Troy, looking startled and anxious, standing behind her.

"Gabriella," he says, bewilderment in his voice.

The first thing she really notices is that his hair is different, and he's gotten a little taller. His eyes are bluer and his body is leaner.

"Troy," she murmurs, and suddenly she can't breathe. It's been four months since the two started walking down different paths, and they've only met up three times, but the moment they meet again they should feel complete, as though they've never been apart… right? Love is intensified by absence, so why do they still feel separate?

"It's been a while, Troy!" Ruby calls out, moving beside Gabriella. "Won't you and your friend join us? We're about to trade in our shoes, so…"

At the mention of the word 'friend' Gabriella notices the lanky figure standing beside Troy and expects it to be Chad, but it turns out to be Jason, who waves timidly with one hand still glued inside his coat pocket. Jenna, who has been talking to Noah, also notices Jason and quickly heads over to him, grabbing his arm.

"Come with us, okay?" she asks, batting her eyes, and he agrees readily. Troy's eyes meet Gabriella's for a few seconds and they linger, thousands of questions running through their minds, before Gabriella lowers her head.

"Lets go, then…"

The group exchange their shoes for the tacky gold bowling shoes, Gabriella avoiding eye contact with Troy the entire time, and she silently curses as she trails behind the group, trying to make conversation with Jason but being unable to get a word in edgeways since Jenna is pouring all over him. Why is she avoiding Troy, anyway? Surely this is what she wants, this is the opportunity she's been waiting for?

She feels him slide up beside her and say softly, "Uh, hey there."

"Oh. Hi." Her mind races and her pace speeds up ever so slightly. Troy finds no problem in keeping up with her, though, and she mentally kicks herself. Who is she for trying to outrun an athlete, anyway?

"So, um. Sorry about, uh… not calling in a while," he says in a strained voice. "How have you been?"

"Uh, busy, I guess," she replies with a shrug, as the two begin to remove their shoes. "Lots of last minute papers, lots of packing. You?"

"Same, actually. Well, a couple of games here and there, too." Troy rubs the back of his head awkwardly. "Are you heading back to Albuquerque for Christmas?"

Gabriella nods, head dipping forward a little as she begins tugging on the ugly regulation bowling shoes. "That's right. My mom's managed to hold off transferring so far so I'm planning on making the effort."

"Jason's totally moving in on your friend over there," Troy says quietly as the two turn their heads to watch Jason put his arm around Jenna's shoulders.

"I figured."

The two lapse into an uncomfortable, oddly alien silence, only broken when Noah calls the group over. Troy studies Gabriella for a few moments, before jerking his head in the direction of the others. "Shall we?"

"Sure." She follows him in a heavy silence, watching the way his hoodie creases along his back, watching his ass through his jeans, watching the way his fingers flex like they always do when he's nervous.

As they order drinks and begin to collect the bowling balls, choosing nicknames for everybody on the electronic machines, the two steal glances when the other isn't looking, turning away simultaneously when they are discovered. It soon becomes just as much of a game as the bowling does, and their faces dissolve into smiles.

Troy, unsurprisingly, turns out to be pretty good at bowling, and manages three strikes in a row.

"Impressed by what you see?" he laughs as he sits down opposite her. She smiles a little and lowers her head, muttering a small, "You're as great as ever, wildcat," and he tries not to sound too pleased as Ruby and Noah compliment his skills. Jason's bowling isn't quite so impressive, with him almost tripping over his feet, and Jenna turns out to be just as hopeless, sending the group into hysterics with their pitiful performances. Somewhere in the mess, the two reconcile lovingly, sitting together with their hands entwined, until it's Gabriella's turn to bowl.

Gabriella stands, now gripping a bowling ball, and rolls a strike, raising her fists in victory and being greeted by Troy's enthusiastic cheers. Her chest constricts but this time she can breathe, and laugh.

She's found her wildcat again, and she's glad.

…

After the game the group head out to Parallel Rock, the 50s themed diner Troy and Gabriella had visited on the second day of college, and discuss college life over burgers and fries. Gabriella politely asks Jason how job hunting is going and he explains that he's managed to find some work as a mechanic and is assisting Coach Bolton teach grade-schoolers basketball on Saturdays, to which Troy points out proudly that Jason has shaped up into a much more solid player than he was during senior year. Jenna asks him about which positions he likes to play, earning snorts and suggestive comments from around the table, and Gabriella feels weightless for the first time in so long.

When Troy catches her eye from across the table she sucks up some of her strawberry milkshake through the straw and asks him how his singing is going.

"Excellent," he says in reply, reaching for the salt shaker without breaking eye contact. "Better than ever before. We should sing together again real soon."

"Sounds good, wildcat. I don't think you want that much salt on your fries, though," she points out, and Troy glances down only to realise he's poured well over half of the contents onto his plate while trying not to look away from his girlfriend's face. Blushing a little, he tries to hide the mountain of salt on his plate under fries but it doesn't go unnoticed by Jason, who begins to laugh and reaches for his phone to take pictures.

As the group continue to laugh, Gabriella's hand slips down and she leans far enough forward to rest a hand on Troy's knee. She begins to rub as he grins at her, the others oblivious to their little game, and one of his hands disappears beneath the table too. Slowly his hand moves up and she makes a small noise in the back of her throat before she can help herself.

"Keep it in your pants, Troy," Noah quips, and Troy rips his hand away from Gabriella's thigh, holding both up in surrender and leaving the rest of the table in stitches. The two exchange shy smiles as the rest of the group shake their heads.

"Hey, so Gabriella's been telling us you're a singer, Troy," Jenna muses, taking a French fry and feeding it to Jason. "There's a karaoke machine set up over there, want to show us your stuff?"

"Huh?" Troy, who has been his talkative and confident self since the game, finds himself extremely self conscious of his surroundings all of a sudden. "Sorry, uh, I don't think that's a good idea…"

"But you said you would sing with Gabby here if you could," Ruby states, wiping her mouth with a napkin and staring pointedly at the two of them. "Come on, four months of being apart and the Broadway couple aren't going to share true love's duet? What's up with that?"

"Ah, Troy's just embarrassed, that's all," Jason laughs, shaking his head exasperatedly. "Just because he's more comfortable with singing now doesn't mean he's changed as far as his personality goes. He just loves to show off without actually being a showboater."

"That's not true," Troy protests, but he's drowned out in a sea of begging voices.

It takes about half an hour to wear the two down, but in the end Troy and Gabriella finish off their food and are hauled up to the front, glancing at each other anxiously as Noah picks out a song for them to perform.

As the first few bars play the café grows silent and Gabriella faces her crippling nerves once more.

"I thought those had gone away," Troy says softly, as though reading her mind. "Or did the stage fright just come back once we graduated?"

"Something like that," comes his girlfriend's timid reply as she grips the microphone stand. Fortunately there aren't many people eating at this time of night besides the group of traitors calling for them to grin and bear it right at the back of the diner.

With ten seconds left of introduction time, Troy offers Gabriella a slightly crooked smile and asks quietly, "Are you ready?"

"This feels nostalgic," she utters, before opening her mouth to sing.

…

"Man, how do you guys even sing like that?" grumbles Ruby as the group lounge back in the red leather diner seats, full and tired. "That has to be by far the most impressive karaoke I've heard. And, having worked part time in a karaoke bar since junior year, I've heard a lot."

"Thanks," Troy grins, having regained his confidence once more. He finishes his milkshake with a loud slurp, before speaking again. "I'm glad my work in musical theatre is paying off."

"Why can't we sing like that, huh?" Ruby asks Noah, who shrugs. "It's a shame our true love song would sound like we're gargling rubber."

At that moment the conversation is broken by an 8-bit arrangement of _Just Wanna Be With You _(which Gabriella assumes Troy duped Kelsi into arranging for him at some point during senior year) and Troy stands up apologetically, rising gracefully and heading towards the doors while pressing the phone to his ear.

"Any idea who that is?" Gabriella asks Jason, who shrugs.

"Who knows. His roommate, his parents? Wouldn't be Chad. He only ever texts."

Jenna, shrugging, moves the conversation onto something else and Gabriella watches over the top of her glass as Troy paces a little as he talks, rubbing the back of his head in the way that he always does when he's trying to sweet-talk someone. She can't help but wonder who he's using that special needy tone for, since it's usually her. Maybe he's asking for a ride back to Albuquerque? But then, he already has a car, right? One significantly better than the one he had during senior year, anyway, since she's the one who helped him pick it out in the first place.

Part of Gabriella knows that fantasizing will only make her feel worse, but she can't help it. After all, Troy still hasn't given her any sort of explanation for why he hasn't called in so long…

_Stop it. You're being stupid._

"Gabriella, are you listening to me?" Gabriella's head snaps up as Noah regards her disapprovingly, running his fingers through the limply gelled spikes in his hair. "Come on, Gab, I've been trying to get your attention for a while now. Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine, sorry," Gabriella responds automatically. At that moment Troy approaches the booth, but to Gabriella's dismay he picks up his bag and swings it over his shoulder. "You're going?"

"Yeah, I have somewhere I need to be."

"What about me?" Jason interjects. "Can I stay at yours for the night?"

Jenna flings an arm around him and beams. "Don't worry about a place to stay, my bed's big enough for the both of us."

"You sure you can't stick around for longer, Troy?" Ruby asks, disappointment evident on her face. "We were just getting to know you."

"I'm sure we'll meet up again soon," Troy promises, taking a step back but not really leaving. After a few seconds, he holds out a hand to Gabriella. "Want to come along, Gabriella?"

A smile breaks out on her face.

"Did I look that desperate?" she mutters to Ruby, who laughs and pats her reassuringly on the back. Still grinning, she rises to her feet and takes his outstretched hand in her own, their fingers tying together just right.

"Use protection!" Noah yells as the two head towards the exit, and Gabriella pulls a face at him over her shoulder, giggling helplessly.

"Where are we going, Troy?" she asks. He glances at her nervously, also smiling a little timidly.

"To my place."

…

With a twist of the key in the ignition the car starts up, a riff from some _Last Days of April _song beginning to blast out through the speakers, Gabriella watches the way that Troy's lips purse together nervously as she fastens her seatbelt. After switching off his phone, Troy leans over to place a chaste kiss on Gabriella's cheek, his eyes warm with anticipation.

"Ready to go?"

She nods, unable to speak, still frozen by his kisses after all these years. She relishes in the way he hasn't tried for her mouth or neck, hasn't tried to put his tongue in places it shouldn't be, unlike some of the nightmare boyfriends Jenna has complained about in the past; he cares, he knows a slight rupture in their relationship has occurred, he knows not to push her.

It's cold and dark when the two pull out onto the highway, wind rushing through their hair. Gabriella shivers and steals glances at Troy as the streetlights show snatches of his face. She recognises this album now - _Ascend To The Stars_, the CD playing in her room the night they made up after their misunderstanding before the winter musical, the CD she lent him during senior year and never asked for it back.

"This song played at the after party of the winter musical, didn't it?" she murmurs, and he laughs a little sheepishly.

"Was this the one? I was worried it was a different track. This album reminds me of our high school days, I guess…"

They fall into silence for a while, simply listening, before Troy speaks again.

"I'm sorry for not calling in a while. I was extremely busy, and I had several deadlines to meet along with a basketball game… in the end I completely forgot. I don't blame you for being mad, I just want you to know how sorry I am."

Somehow Gabriella expected for his explanation to be more than just 'I was busy and forgot', but the normalcy of the situation reminds her that she was exactly the same, and she shrugs.

"I guess I was in the same situation. I'm not mad, Troy."

"Still, it was wrong of me to stop calling like that. I mean, you're my girlfriend, you know? You're important to me, and I still shut down. I'm sorry. You don't deserve someone as flaky as me."

"Will you stop? Things are different between us now, sure, but…"

She lets it hang, awaiting his next words. His hands grip the wheel a little tighter.

"We'll be able to fix things, though, right?"

He glances over at her anxiously, awaiting her approval, and she reaches over to ruffle his hair.

"We'll see," she simply replies.

They stop outside one of the more expensive dorms and Gabriella watches curiously as Troy fishes in his pocket for his house keys.

"The guy who called earlier," Troy explains, "is my roommate. He told me he's going out tonight. Won't be back until tomorrow." He hesitates. "So, uh… do you maybe want to come in? Get a drink or something?"

"Sure." She hopes her cool replies are enough to disguise the way she's shaking on the inside. The dorm is shrouded in darkness and she is guided by Troy, blindly fumbling around with her hands reaching out to touch the walls consciously behind her. Heart in her mouth, she feels herself being steered upstairs by Troy's hands, which are trembling ever so slightly. He pushes open his bedroom door and flicks on a light switch, adjusting the dimmer to a lower setting.

Gabriella is surprised to find his room in a better kept condition than she'd imagined, his posters all carefully secured on his walls, no dirty laundry littering the floor, nothing but a large pile of books on theatrical techniques and basketball history stacked high in a corner of the room. On his dresser she spies a photograph of the two of them after the senior year musical, tearful and grinning, and remembers that only a few hours later they were lying in his tree house while his hands ventured under her shirt, kissing to prevent moans from diffusing and being heard by his parents.

It was a good summer, she muses, as Troy asks if she wants anything to drink, beer or water or juice? After politely declining, she perches on the end of his bed and he takes a seat beside her.

"So." Troy clears his throat, clasping his hands together. "Uh, about this gap in our relationship… want to try fixing it?"

"I don't know if it's as simple as that," she sighs, but nods. "You do realise this is about more than just the lack of calls, right?"

Troy cringes. "Well, yeah, I figured maybe something else was up, too."

"Smart boy. There's… well, there's a gap because of how we spend our time nowadays." Gabriella exhales, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and wonders how it's become so difficult to communicate with the one person she thought understood her completely. "The point is, we hardly ever manage to see one another. We're always so busy, and have to cancel things, and I don't know if I can do this anymore. We're growing apart, Troy."

"Hey, now." Troy cups her chin in his hands and turns up her face to look at him. "Listen to me. I'm sorry, Gabriella, I really am. I don't mean to be this flaky or disorganised. Things between us have changed since starting college, I won't deny that… but is that such a bad thing? Gaining independence from each other but still having this insane chemistry after this long apart is a rare blessing, don't you think? I mean, look at us. Here we are, picking apart our relationship, yet you're touching me down there and I'm holding your lovely face in my hands. Don't you think what we have is beautiful?"

Gabriella lifts her hand from his crotch, which is already becoming hard despite the serious tone in his voice, and considers this.

"I guess it's the kind of love that won't go away so easily… but even so, Troy, we need to work something out. We need to make time for each other, because if we don't…"

"I don't even want to hear that option," he says quietly, taking her petite body into his arms. As Troy strokes her hair she can feel the way his heart is drumming in his chest like a steel drum. "I don't want to give up on you yet, Gabriella. You're the most important person to me."

"You're crazy, wildcat," she mumbles into his chest, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent. "If we make time to see each other, we'll be fine. I know it."

Relieved, Troy leans down and kisses her, noses rubbing against each other as their mouths part. It's been so long since he's kissed her like this, with her hands touching his crotch through his jeans while he pulls off her jacket slowly.

"You're really hard," she murmurs after they part, both breathing heavily. Troy's cheeks flame.

"Uh, I guess. Your hands tend to do that to me, so."

Teasingly she unzips his flies and her small hand pokes through, reaching for his erection as she continues to kiss him, free hand squeezing his firm shoulder and rubbing small circles into the skin with her thumb. He can feel every hair on his body standing on end. Why is it that Gabriella drives his body this crazy within minutes of her touch? He lets out a grunt as she squeezes, reaching to cup her breast through the thin fabric of her shirt in retaliation. Startled, Gabriella's breath hitches, but she doesn't relent, instead kneading with the palm of her hand with a little more force onto his groin, the notion driving him crazy.

"Oh, geez, Gabriella," he groans, and she smiles impishly at his aroused expression. Her smug expression quickly melts away as he moves his hands beneath her shirt, palming her stomach, rubbing her lovely pronounced hip bones, sliding his hands further and further north until they rest on the slightly spongy surface of her bra. As he navigates blindly in between her kisses he feels lace, the underwire, more fabric… smoothing a palm over the arch in her back between her shoulder blades, he dislodges the clasp. A shudder snakes down her spine as his hands rub the smooth surface of her skin, his breathing heavy. She decides she's had enough with teasing him and tugs his jacket away from his shoulders, letting out a moan as his kisses move to her neck, his hot breath sending goosebumps shooting down her arms.

She pushes him back onto the bed and pulls off her shirt, casting away her bra as she does so. Gabriella is straddling him at this point and wonders why on earth she was shy about doing so the first time they had made love back in Albuquerque - the moment she touches him Troy reverts into this shy and embarrassed teenager who shudders and freezes up almost immediately. It's a little embarrassing having to prompt him in this way, especially since he's usually the one calling the shots, but it feels strangely comforting that there's someone else in the world that gets more clumsy during sex than she does.

"Like what you see, wildcat?" she breathes, leaning down to kiss his slightly parted lips.

"You sure have changed your tune," he utters in between fervent kisses, reaching up to slide his hands against her back, relishing in the way she dithers a little, how the softness of her breasts quiver too.

As she begins to remove his clothes she can't help but feel that things have definitely changed between them since junior year - their high school days were filled with fumbling nerves and chaste kisses, even as people around them began placing bets on how soon the two would go all the way. Their first time making love had also been embarrassing and full of hit and miss interactions to find out what felt good. To think that between then and now they have improved sends more shivers down her spine, and Gabriella giggles as Troy runs his hands down her hips.

"You don't have to call me wildcat anymore, you know," he says in a low voice as he rips open a packet. "Especially since Berkeley's mascot is a bear."

"You're still a wildcat to me," she mutters, and Troy laughs and pulls her in close.

"I love you." He ghosts her face with one hand, and she smiles.

"I love you too, Troy," Gabriella closes her eyes and he kisses the top of her head.

…

When Troy wakes up suddenly, confused as to why he opened his eyes so quickly, he notices the creak of the bed and catches Gabriella swinging her legs over the side, preparing to stand up. He quickly wraps his arms around her waist, catching her off guard. With a cry she falls back onto the bed and into his arms, laughing and trying to pry him off her.

"And where were you going?" he asks teasingly, pulling her under the covers. Gabriella, still giggling, pinches the end of his nose.

"I was going to make coffee. You want some?"

Troy grins and shakes his head.

"Maybe later. I just want to stay under the covers for a while with you."

"When's your roommate getting back?" Gabriella asks distractedly. "I don't want to be rolling around in bed with you when he walks through the door, so."

"Who cares? Knowing Ben, he'll be out with his boyfriend until noon at least. And trust me, they're way more obnoxious in bed than we are. It's about time I got payback for all the times him and Liam have woken me up in the middle of the night."

"I can understand that," Gabriella agrees, thinking back to the number of times she's woken up to the sound of Ruby and Noah humping at 3am. She pauses for a few moments, before saying aloud, "Do you reckon Jenna and Jason hit it off okay?"

"Well, she's definitely too good for him," Troy muses, "but they both seemed into each other last night, so I guess only time will tell."

For a few minutes they lie beside each other in a comfortable silence, before Troy props himself up onto one elbow and stares down at her.

"Do you want to go out?"

"Where to, wildcat?" she asks him, reaching for her clothes. His grin tells no answers.

"Out."

Twenty minutes later they're on the road, blasting out that same old CD, talking about something completely irrelevant, feeling at ease with each other. Some time later Troy takes a swift turn and pulls up alongside an endless stretch of sand, a dim grey strip of water in the distance.

"The beach?" she murmurs, then shivers. "It's almost Christmas, Troy."

"I know that. But it's pretty, don't you think?" It's cold and bleak and completely deserted, but the charm Troy is angling for is still somehow there, and she shrugs.

"Guess so." The crook in her mouth doesn't go unnoticed by Troy, who grins back.

"I'll get us some breakfast. You wait here." He heads over to a dodgy-looking food stand, isolated on the corner of the parking lot, and instead of waiting Gabriella moves. She stares at the dark gritty sand beneath her feet, wondering how long it'll be until it inevitably gets in her shoes and resides there for the next ten years, and as she looks around she spots a kids playground on the shore, complete with a swing set and roundabout. She sits down on the roundabout, shivering in her thin hoodie, staring out at the ocean as the sea breeze tangles her hair mercilessly.

Troy returns some time later with coffee and breakfast sandwiches, which taste better than she expected from a shabby food stand on the side of the road. Absorbing the sights and sounds around her, she exhales.

"I've missed spending time with you, Troy."

"I've missed spending time with me, too," he agrees, grinning as she shoves him lightly. "Kidding! Kidding. I've missed you too, Gabriella. I guess before we went to college I thought we'd have all the time in the world to see each other. Long distance is hard."

"It sure is," she murmurs, smiling at the sea in the distance. He wraps an arm around her and sighs.

"Is that a sad note I hear in your voice?" he teases, brushing a piece of hair away from her face. His expression softens. "Lots of people do this, you know. Sure, it doesn't work for everyone, but we're not _everyone_. We're _us_."

"We're a statistic among thousands of other couples who parted ways after high school," Gabriella drones, though her grin pokes out. Troy grins back a crooked smile.

"Well, if we're a statistic we're the good half. The half that stays together. I hope."

The colours are inescapable now, no longer the bleak early morning hues. They could be in monochrome for all Gabriella cares, because they're here, they're now, and in her eyes each shade of grey is cyan, cerulean, vermillion, saffron. Her wildcat was lost, but now he's found, and she couldn't be more grateful.

"We're going to be all right, Gabriella," he says without looking at her, his eyes searching for the same light.

"Okay," she agrees softly, sheltering from the ocean wind with his jacket sleeve.


End file.
